Violet Hour
by electricsilhouette
Summary: 'In the dark you tell me of the flower,that only blooms in the violet hour. When an accident weaves the stories of two people will it be a lasting romance or a fleeting infatuation as all bittersweet love stories end? Modern AU
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hey guys im pretty nervous because this is my very first fanfic and it's going to get a bit confusing so bear with me on this okaaayy~~

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It was raining that night; which was no surprise because the weather in Berk contests with that in England. The stars burned behind nimbus clouds, invisible to the eye so the only light in the streets were from the blinking headlights of what little cars pass by. Berk was just too poor-or just run by sadistic bastards- to put up streetlights.

Just a few blocks downtown stood a lonely building, the peeling paint on its walls is evidence of old age as well as the roof panels which are in need of replacing. From afar you really can't tell that this small abandoned-looking building was an animal clinic. There were several small windows though only one window revealed a lighted room. Inside was a boy shuffling around boxes, moving about and arranging cans of dog food on several shelves in one side of the room.

He was rather tall, with unkempt brown hair and inquisitive eyes that burned green under the light. His built suggested that he was about eighteen years old. The clock which hung on the white washed wall read half past six and he should really be home by now but unlike other eighteen year olds, he didn't have a car, since his father is the stereotypical overprotective "focus on your studies" and "no parties 'til college" kind.

Suddenly a frantic knocking broke the silent routine which almost made him drop the canned food he was holding. _By Odin's beard, who would still be out at this time?_ He thought to himself, running towards the door. Opening it, he found himself in front of a girl, drenched from head to toe with frantic green eyes searching the boy's face helplessly. She was hugging herself which meant she was probably freezing out here. _What possessed you to go running around in the rain? _

Then the girl started talking. "I just- I didn't see it- it was too-too dark" She stuttered out incomprehensibly, shaking with panic and cold. "One second I looked away to grab my phone then he next it just- I-I" She kept on glancing behind her at something in the dark.

"Calm down" The boy reassured. "Tell me what happened."

The girl took a deep shaky breath and composed what she could of herself. "I hit something-a cat or a dog, I don't know."

"Where is it?"

"It's in-in my car." With that she ran back into the rain, leading the boy to where her car was. It was really dark to see anything and the rain made it worse. When she opened the trunk he had to strain his eyes to be able to grasp what exactly she hit. Then in the corner he saw a shadowy creature move. He bent forward, arms stretched out, ready to catch it if ever it pounces on him and claws his face out. The girl stood behind him, shaken as ever and breathed heavily. His hands had to search the floor of the car before finally grabbing hold of the animal's damp body.

As he retrieved it, the animal hissed at him, clearly annoyed-or hurt. _It's a cat. _He thought. It kept on hissing, the hairs on its back standing. The girl, who was about to pet it, recoiled her hand from the black cat.

"Don't worry, it's just frightened." He reassured again to which his nervous companion smiled. Hugging the cat close to his chest, they hurried back into the clinic now soaking wet.

"Is it going to be okay?" The blonde girl peered over his shoulders as the boy examined the cat's left foreleg. It seems to have been hurt badly.

He scratched his head. "I don't know. His leg's not looking good and I think the vet might have to perform surgery on it tomorrow morning. In the meantime though I could just bandage it and let him rest here for the night."

The girl's eyes widened even more-if it were possible, at his words. "Oh god. This is all my fault. I should have just kept my eyes on the road." She bit her lip, grabbed a handful of her soaking blond locks and clutched at it.

"Hey it's not your fault. No one normal can see out there with all this rain anyways. He's going to be fine, I promise." His mouth quirked up into a lopsided smile to which his companion mirrored.

They stayed like that for several awkward seconds until the girl shivered involuntarily and hugged her elbows. The boy recognized the action and an expression of self-hatred registered on his face. He stupidly bumped into one of the desks, causing a fit of giggles from the girl. Then he opened a bag sitting on one of the tables and retrieved a worn-looking sweatshirt. He handed it to the girl.

"Here. You must be-uh, cold." His arm holding the clothing hung suspended between them. She shyly took it, her delicate fingers brushing his palm causing them both to blush. Before turning to change in the other room, she glanced back at him, playing with the sweatshirt in her hands.

"I didn't catch your name." She said.

The boy however, wasn't listening since he was busying himself with the medical kit. Strands of dripping hair partly hid his far-off look, and green orbs wandering off somewhere. She watched him for several moments, a smile tugging on her lips.

"Hello?"

That shook him out of his reverie, and instantly he whipped his head towards her, face burning red. _How could he act so stupid in front of a girl?_

"Sorry what was that?" He asked, scratching his head.

The girl hid her laugh behind her hand. "I was asking for your name, silly."

This was the second time he wanted to slap himself and if it happens again, he's gonna have a one way ticket to stupidville.

"I..uhmm…Hiccup." He burst out, causing the blond to jump a little.

"Sorry?" She wrinkled her nose in confusion.

"My name's Hiccup" The girl opened her mouth to respond but he interrupted quickly. "It's a Viking name. Everyone around here has Viking blood, or so they claim it to be."

He must have been blushing profusely since the girl was still smiling at him goofily. Is it the name? Is it the Viking part?

"I'm Rapunzel." She said, turning away and leaving him confused and drowning in his thoughts, unconsciously gripping the edge of a table to steady himself and completely forgetting about the furry creature that rested on top of it. Its purring caught Hiccup's attention which made him affectionately pet the feline's damp neck.

Before realizing it, he glanced over at the slender silhouette inside the next room; memorizing the small curves, her long hair pressed onto her small back. As if recognizing the action, the cat stared up at Hiccup, its large glassy eyes piercing into him.

"What?" He said, playfully, nudging the cat. "I didn't see anything."

"It's pretty late. Aren't you going home?" Her singsong voice called out from inside.

It was only in that moment did he remember to look at the clock. It read a few minutes till seven. "Uh yeah, well" He held the back of his hand and walked aimlessly around the room. "I'm just gonna wait for the weather to calm down a bit."

Rapunzel called out again. "Don't you have a car?" She too was pacing around the room, constantly shifting things around- probably empty boxes. He should really clean up this place.

"I have a license but my dad doesn't really trust me with a car." Now that he actually said it, the idea seemed pretty silly. What kind of an 18 year old senior still takes the bus to school? People must really pity him a lot.

Rapunzel came out, holding a wet shirt in her hands. His sweatshirt hung loosely on her small frame, but it looks kinda nice. _Why is it that guy clothes look instantly better on girls?_

"Overprotective?" She said, wearing a sympathetic look on her face. He nodded.

The blonde leaned against the table where their rescued friend sat staring at them both. Hiccup sat on top of a desk and they sat there in an impenetrable silence with her stroking the cat and with him watching her.

Finally he broke the stillness. "I guess it's just that he's afraid I might end up miles across the country in some nasty car accident."

Her smile looked distracted and and her gaze wandered far.

"Parents just do what's best for us you know, even though they know that we can't see it; we can't see their motives. Sometimes they'll sacrifice everything for you even when you rebel against them. They're just that devoted to you."

And with those words hushed any thoughts that wished to be spoken between them and they fell into a contemplating silence again that no one wanted to break. The rain kept on pounding the streets and rattled against the roof. It had gotten colder as the seconds turned into minutes. But no one bothered to move from their place. The sound of the pattering of raindrops made you just want to sit very still because you don't want to miss what it wants to say. They held onto this moment like a thread, just to admire the fragility of the world as the water breaks through its surface.

"Psithurism." He whispered to the air. Rapunzel slowly turned to look at him, with a questioning look on her face. "the sound of wind through the trees..psithurism."

No one knew how they ended up like this. In soaking clothes sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and just listening to the drumming of each others heartbeats, hearing their pulses. The rain has stopped hours ago and the world grew even more silent as the hands of the clock raced with each other. They talked for hours. They just talked and talked, without even recalling their words. She told him about her adoptive mother. Of how she was forced to study medicine in college. She told him about her pet chameleon. She told him of how she wanted to escape; to travel everywhere. He told her she should pursue what she wants to do. She told him she can't.

In turn he told her about his strict father. Of how he never had a mother to love him, growing up. He told her about a girl he kissed years ago. He told her that he wanted to go on adventures too. He wanted to explore wildlife and discover new animal species. She told him he should. He told her he can't.

But then everything that ever mattered, everything we held on to, eventually had to pass.

"It's late." Hiccup whispered to her hoarsely, though he did not want her to leave.

She smiled. And it was the kind of smile that dimples her cheek. It was the kind that puts the Mona Lisa to shame. It was the kind that looked so fragile and vulnerable that it could fade into nothing with each breath. He never thought he could be so affected by a simple tug of the lips, by a small curve on the face. Her smile contained every emotion he was ever taught. Hurt, anger, happiness, envy..love. Her smile was beautiful and cold. It was mysterious and broken. She held his hand, weaved their fingers together. Her touch was warm and comforting.

"I don't want to leave."

"Then stay."

"I can't."

He gripped her hand tight. "I don't know who you are Rapunzel. I don't know why you have this effect on me. I don't know why the gods led you to me tonight. But I do know one thing. I don't want you to leave."

Doubt hung between them, no one dared to voice their thoughts. This was all so silly in the first place. They just met and now they're here hesitating to let go of a hint of a budding romance. They were too naïve to realize what they were going to put themselves into.

"Let me drive you home." Rapunzel said, hoping to break the tension.

Hiccup snorted. "Wouldn't it be weird for a girl to offer a _guy _a ride home?"

"So you'd rather stay here? Alone? With a bunch of animals?" She scoffed at him and crossed her arms.

He scrunched up his nose and narrowed his eyes at her. "I think you don't understand what 'alone' means. And besides, I have Toothless." He said, gesturing to the cat who just approached them begging for a petting.

His remark caused the blond to laugh a little. "It already has a name?"

"He grows on you."

They sat back and petted Toothless who was enjoying every bit on it. They both wished for a way to stay like this; no parents, no commitments, just to sit on the floor and stare at a peeling wall. Without warning, Rapunzel hurriedly stood up.

"Hiccup I really have to go." She whispered, tugging at the sleeves of the shirt. She pulled him up and they wordlessly walked to the door, Toothless following close behind. This was the worst part; when part of you wishes to take hold of her and run away. When you give up and don't say anything. When the words hang suspended in the air, waiting to be put into a jar and thrown out into sea.

She turned to him and her smile hurt. He barely knew her and it hurt him; everything she does. He begged for time to linger longer. He wanted just a few more minutes to just look at her like this. He wanted to memorize the curves of her face, the lines, the way her hair cascades down her back, the way her eyes give away her every emotion. He wanted to take her in, all of her afraid she might run away.

_Basorexia-the overwhelming urge to kiss_

"Good night Hiccup."

"Good night Punzie"

She smiles at the nickname. And her smile is all that he sees for the rest of the night.

_Lypophrenia: a feeling of sadness seemingly without a cause_

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_A.N. sooooooo a bit short right? hurhur. i still got a few oneshot (and hopefully actual stories) ideas but idk if i will be able to write them all *fingers crossed* _

_anyways hope you enjoyed and dont forget to REVIEW AND SHARE thanks luv u my fire breathing cupcakes~~_


	2. Chapter 2

Technically it's already monday here (it's like 3 in the morning now) but here it is as promised (kind of)3

**_Disclaimer: I do not own How To train Your Dragon nor Tangled. The characters used in this story belong to Dreamworks and_**_ Disney._

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The world was spinning. The ground beneath him shook and the air choke him, but he remained still. His mind was in turmoil as if someone plucked out a gear which caused the whole thing to collapse. His pulse raced with his thoughts. He watched the world crumble into destruction. He watched as it sucked out his breaths, his words, his life. He let it take over him.

That was how he felt when he met her. That was how he felt when she left him at a quarter to nine. Shards of her memory pierced his limbs. It ached getting out of bed. It ached walking down the stairs. Day light blinded him when it illuminated the room from the open window. Everything was hazy. He felt like he was in one of those indie movies where the lighting is saturated and dark and everything was so still. The floorboards creaked beneath his feet and it echoed throughout the room. It was seven thirty on a Monday morning and he was alone.

Hiccup's father left early for some emergency of some sorts downtown. Apparently a few rowdy teenagers went cow tipping at a nearby farm and on the way they stopped at a convenience store and spray-painted the glass windows. Of course everyone knew who did it.

He sat at the kitchen counter and began pouring milk on his bowl of cereal. _This is stupid._He thought to himself as he stared down at the bowl of apple-cinnamon cheerios. The yellow hoops swam in the milk. He didn't even like cinnamon. _You've known her for like what, three hours and you're already acting weird._He scolded himself. Hiccup pushed the cereal around the bowl, his appetite suddenly ruined.

Fifteen minutes before classes start Hiccup began pedaling down the neighborhood street. The sun had given off very little light since the clouds darkened and blanketed the sky. It was the first week of September and autumn had just begun to creep its way into Berk but it looked like the start of the winter months. _What a great day to be depressed_.

Hiccup pedaled a few blocks till he reached the school gates. 12 minutes till the bell. He silently thanked the gods for making him live a few streets away from school. Parking his bike and securing it with a chain, he ran towards the building and pushed himself inside the large doors.

_Great. Out of the indie movie and into a highschool chick flick._

Badly maintained lockers lined up at both sides of the hallway. Obviously excited for the first day of high school, the underclassmen frantically sped down halls, locating their first period rooms, not wanting to be late for class. At a glance you can tell which one is a freshman who spent three hours last night figuring out whether or not to wear his new pair of vans from the grumpy senior who forgot to drink coffee and didn't even bother to shower this morning. This is high school. This is what our dictatorial society put in the world for fifteen-year olds to be even more confused with their self worth and their life choices. Everyday hundreds of students are trapped in the four corners of a classroom memorizing lines from a textbook, being pressured to participate in more extracurriculars and get belittled for failing an exam which was so obviously made to test their memory, not their intelligence.

Lucky for Hiccup he only has 10 months left in this black hole till they ship him off to college or till he gladly hangs himself trying to write a three-page essay about Shakespeare's outrageously uncomfortable ruff collar.

Pushing his way through the sea of bodies, he elbowed and bumped people who stood in the way between him and his locker. A few familiar faces passed by him, sending a few hellos to which he silently returned. Thankfully he reached it after battling a mass of sweaty hormonal teenagers. Unfortunately here were two of those hormonal teenagers exchanging spit right in front of his locker. Hiccup groaned internally.

He pressed himself against the next locker and turned the combination on his own. 8 minutes till first period. Romeo and Juliet over there were still liplocking. They were pressed against his locker and it took about most of his strength to open for a few inches just to slide his textbooks in. Closing the locker, Hiccup sighed and left for physics.

The crowd started to thin out but it was still a struggle to pass through. Some of the popular kids stood by the lockers in a protective huddle shooting glares at freshmen who made eye contact. A few annoying jocks proudly wore their varsity jackets and started playfully punching each other. One of them threw a basketball across the hallway and flew a few inches away from Hiccup's face which sent him stumbling back, hitting a few people. Adjusting his glasses and mumbling a few sorries he kept walking.

You know in the movies when the protagonist is walking down the hall and then the whole scene suddenly blurs and plays in slow motion when the guy sees the girl whom he's obviously going to end up with at the end of the movie? Well this was kind of one of those moments.

Rapunzel stood there in front of her locker with her back to him. Her hair was loosely tied in a ponytail which hung down her back, its golden tips brushing her lower back as she put her books inside. _Would she still remember me?_ Hiccup thought to himself whilst consciously smoothing down his shirt. _Of course she would you big lump. _A tiny voice in his head scolded him.

When he gathered enough courage to talk to her, Hiccup walked towards the girl who was still standing by the locker. He was right behind her and was about to tap her on the shoulder when a voice called out to him from the end of the hallway.

"HICCUP" A buff muscular guy who was desperately trying to grow facial hair pushed a few sophomores out of the way and was followed by a few more teenagers. "YOU GUYS I FOUND HIM."

Rapunzel either jumped at the booming voice or the mention of his name. Either way he flushed red when she turned around wide-eyed. Hiccup opened his mouth to talk but an excruciating punch to the arm turned the possible words into groans.

"Why do you do that?" He moaned out, clutching his arm. He turned to the group of teens he might as well call his friends. Completely ignoring the blonde behind them, they pulled Hiccup away, turning to leave for first period. He tried to look back at Rapunzel who was still staring at them with a surprised face. When she finally disappeared into the crowd Hiccup frowned, missing his chance to talk to her. Though he swore he saw her mouth his name. _She still has my sweatshirt. _

"We've been looking everywhere for you." The girl who punched him earlier, Astrid, asked. She wore something you'd cross off as 'I-kind-of-threw-on-whatever-I-found-in-my-closet-but-I-still-look-better-than-u' kind of look. She wore a red jacket over a plain tee. Her shorts were frayed and under that she had blue tights on. Her hair was pulled back into her signature braid, her bangs covering half her face.

"Yeah, where were you last night?" Snotlout, the muscular guy, added. He was referring to the ruckus last night which made Hiccup's dad go crazy when he heard about it. "I totally tipped way more cows than the twins." Snotlout snickered which earned him a hit on the head by one of the twins, Ruffnut.

Hiccup rolled his eyes at them. "Sorry guys I just didn't feel like going to juvenile prison on the first day of school." They shrugged it off, talking about other things. They broke off at the end of the hallway when the twins and Snotlout went to English and Astrid headed off to Chemistry. So that left Hiccup with Fishlegs whom he considered his best friend since, they were stuck with each other being outcasts since kindergarten anyway.

The bell rang just in time when they went inside the room. Other people were already seated, some less enthusiastic than others to be in this class. There were just two seats left at the back of the room and Fishlegs and Hiccup scrambled to take them. Honestly Hiccup was kind of okay with the class but solving problems first thing in the morning isn't really his cup of tea.

"So who was the girl?" Fishlegs asked out of the blue. He jumped in his seat turned his head faster than Astrid swinging her fist at Snotlout when she found out he ate the last piece of pizza. Hiccup tried to recover from the initial shock and shrugged. He wasn't really good at acting cool and this his friend knew.

"I-uh- what girl?" Hiccup busied himself with arranging his notebooks on his desk. The teacher came in a few seconds later and a few audible groans were heard from the group.

Slouching in their seats, the two friends have this plan every year to just lay low in class discussions but still be able to ace every test. Active participation in class wasn't really their thing. Well save for Fishlegs butting in a few answers now and then. Hiccup picked up his pen and started twirling it in his hand as the teacher started writing formulas on the board.

Fishlegs inched closer to him. "You know, the blonde you were talking to earlier?" He whispered to his friend.

"Oh her. Yeah I thought she was someone I knew, but uhm she wasn't." Hiccup miserably tried to find an excuse. Thankfully his friend bought it and dropped the subject.

The morning flew by in a blur. Half of his classes already assigned homework. By the time the bell rang for lunch, Hiccup looked more tired than ever. And this was just the first day. He went inside the chaotic hall where lunch was served and the tables were packed with students. He craned his neck and looked for his friends. He found them by the end of the hall which was kind of their spot. Grabbing a tray he stood at the back of the queue before sitting down at their table. On the way he saw a blonde ponytail amongst a group of kind of popular kids. Half of him wanted to stop by and talk to her but when he saw Fishlegs look at him funny, Hiccup kept walking.

"Hey guys have you seen the new girl?" Snotlout remarked, spraying bits of his sandwich on the table. He may be Hiccup's cousin but the guy disgusts him in ways no one can describe. "She's a total babe."

He set his tray down and sat next to Astrid who barely touched her food. They were talking about the new student-Rapunzel. Instinctively he looked over his shoulder to her. She sat by the window with a few cheerleaders. _First day of school and she's already friends with the cool kids._ Hiccup thought. He should have expected this. Rapunzel was the kind of person the populars always looked for and wanted to be friends with; pretty, thin, blonde and possibly rich. He'd never have a chance to talk to her.

"Hiccup knows." Fishlegs suddenly said which snapped Hiccup out of his reverie. Everyone was looking at him expectantly. He must have looked really blank since they rolled their eyes at him. "I said," Fishlegs repeated. "You know her right? The girl?"

_Oh. _He pushed his food around the plate with his fork, mushing it all up. "I didn't really get her name."

Finally Snotlout changed the topic. There were five minutes left till the bell. Half the students were already pushing themselves out the doors. Hiccup looked back again at Rapunzel. She was still there. What caught him by surprise though was when she turned her head just a few inches to the right to look right at him. She sent him a faint smile and a wave. Returning it, Hiccup blushed scarlet.

Three minutes before the bell he packed his things and slung his backpack over one shoulder. "Gotta go guys, I'm late for shop."

He said to the group to which they looked at him surprised.

"You take shop?" Astrid asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Willingly?" Snotlout added.

He rolled his eyes at them and headed for the doors. Willingly or not, he needed the credits in shop. Not that he wanted to be on the honors list this year; he never was. He was smart, but not school smart. When he stopped at his locker to put his books in, a tap on his shoulder made him jump and turn around. Now this he did not expect. She stood there with bright eyes.

"Hey." How she can make a single word sound like a sigh was beyond him. She made it sound so easy to say. _Hey._ He breathed it in.

"Hi." He replied. He didn't really know what to say next so he just stood there adjusting the strap of his back. Stood there hugging her books.

Then her face lit up as if remembering something. She reached for her bag and reached inside, her arm disappearing into the zipper. "I was looking everywhere for you." The blonde said as her arm kept moving inside the bag. _She was looking for me?_ Hiccup thought to himself, a faint smile on his face. "I was going to give this back." Her hand fished out his sweatshirt and handed it to him.

Hiccup took it, the shirt felt crisp in his hands. He shoved down his backpack and thanked Rapunzel. Closing his locker they bother walked down the hall not really knowing where to go. He was really going to be late for shop now.

"So what's your next class?" She asked when we turned round the corner. A sea of students rushed to their next class just wanting this day to be over with already.

"Shop. You?" She was headed for English which was at the opposite hall of his class. They acted as if they've known each other for a long time which was a relief for both.

Before separating at the end of the hall Rapunzel turned to Hiccup. "I'll meet you after school then?" They were going to meet at Hiccup's locker. And for the next 40 minutes that was all Hiccup could think about. The ticking of the clock was the only sound that kept him in reality. His head was already swimming in a sea of daydreams. The writings on the board were meaningless but he found himself writing them down. When the bell finally rang for dismissal everyone scrambled for their things and ran out the door way before the teacher could even close his textbook.

Hiccup once again had to tackle the mass of students littered between lockers. He hung his head low when his friends passed by so he wouldn't have to tag along with them in one of their cow-tipping escapades. He reached his locker and stood by it until most of the people were already out the school doors. Hiccup shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his hand fastened on the strap of his bag. Checking the time on his phone, it read five minutes to four.

_She'll be here. She probably just got lost._ He slid down the locker and sat on the floor to wait. To pass the time he put out his textbooks and started doing homework. Might as well finish at least a portion of it. Everytime a girl with blonde hair passed he'd stop and look hoping it was her. It wasn't. Another 30 minutes passed and Hiccup was probably the only student left on campus save for those who managed to get themselves in detention on the first day.

_She'll be here. She said she'll be here._

She wasn't

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yea i know it's short. i didnt know what to write in this chapter  
i promise there'll be more hiccunzel interactions in the next one

luv ya :3


	3. Chapter 3

**slightly long authors note bc im bACK**

holy hell guys it's only the first month of school and i want to fling myself off a 21 storey building. senior year is reaaaally hard like just thinking off all the stuff we have to finish this year (research studies, science fairs, college admission tests) UGH

ok i know you probably hate me for not updating for weeks. ive just been so busy and i wont be able to write anything during july-august since during those months we'll conduct experiments and stuff for research ugh

oh yeah and i watched httyd 2 like 2 weeks ago AND OH MY GOD (no spoilers, promise.) I CRIED IN THE THEATRE FOR LIKE HALF OF THE MOVIE UGH so i guess this means i will have to continue atwp now hehehhehehehe eoh gods

THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS CHEERLEADING STUFF WHICH I KNOW ZERO ABOUT. so if you're a cheerleader pls bear with my amateur writing k thanks :)))

to ladypixiedust omg omgomg hahahhahaha gods but your drabbles are what keep me alive

_**Disclaimer: I do not own How to train your dragon nor Tangled. The characters- blah blah blah you know the drill **_

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"5, 6, 7, 8!"

Shoes squeaked against the hard wood floor of the closed gymnasium. Beads of sweat trickled down their backs and red faces. High ponytails sliced through the air as several girls danced to the beat of a rowdy upbeat pop song. They were separated into groups of four, each to perform a basic cheer dance. Rapunzel sat down with her group mates stretching by the sidelines. She was the only senior in her group and it made her slightly out of place.

Cheer tryouts were nerve-racking. Their seniors stood by the gym bleachers scrutinizing every single girl. They were the next group to perform and the blonde nervously adjusted her spandex shorts. It's not like she had to get in the team, it's just that it would be nice to be a part of something you actually want to be a part of. The moment she knew her new school had a cheer team Rapunzel knew she had to convince her mother to let her join even if it took weeks. And it did. She'd been practicing all summer. The thought of all that hard work being put together in one dance routine suddenly made her want to vomit. She dug into her backpack for her phone. It was already 4:15. She was supposed to meet up with Hiccup over an hour ago. Sighing she put the phone back in her bag and hoped tryouts would end soon.

"Are you guys kidding me?" Arista, the team captain exclaimed to the other group. Everyone's heads turned towards her. "Your tumbles are sloppier than today's lunch and your high v's are lazier than my uncle. Do it again." The music started again.

Rapunzel sighed. It's going to take everything she's got to get in. _Let's just hope all those years of ballet lessons paid off on flexibility_. She thought to herself. They moved to stretch their wrists and all she could think about right now was Hiccup. _Would he still be waiting for me right now?_

"Alright. Next group." They were next. Rapunzel shook the sweat from her hands and tried to calmly walk towards the court. She whispered nervous good lucks to her group mates. This was it then.

The music started to play. It was the same one they'd been practicing on several times. The familiar echoing of the bass, the upbeat feel was imprinted in her mind and her body automatically moved to every beat. _5, 6, 7, 8. _They counted in their heads and their feet stomped to the rhythm. Hands up high and with each count they moved.

"Hey let's shout it!" The girls started to chant. "There ain't no doubt about it." Claps echoed across the room and tumbles were performed. "Spirit we got some. Go Vikings, we're awesome!" Rapunzel and another cheerer, Ariel then finished strong with a toe touch back handspring combo, landing on both feet which raised their seniors' eyebrows. They almost lost their footing which could've ruined everything but thankfully they rebounded and remained in balance. Rapunzel struggled for breath. Her whole body felt like collapsing but she felt relieved the routine was over.

"Nice one ladies." The co-captain, Anna, remarked. She seemed a little less intense than Arista. Rapunzel swore everyone in her group breathed a sigh of relief. "You there." Anna pointed to the freshman at the back, nervously tucking her dark hair behind her ear. "What's your name?"

The girl's eyes widened at being singled out. "Uhh Violet." You could already tell she didn't like people noticing her.

"Ok Violet. I just wanted to point out that you should really work on your footing and jumps. But you pulled it off quite well." The red head said. "Actually, all of you did an amazing performance. And I'm sure Ariel would give her sister here a run for her money." Anna joked, lightly bumping Arista on the shoulder to which the latter rolled her eyes. Ariel beamed at the compliment.

Tryouts ended a few minutes later. Everyone was tired and some rushed towards the locker rooms, grateful for a quick shower. Rapunzel though, hurriedly put on jeans skipped the wash and ran out of the gym doors only to be stopped by Anna.

"Hey, you're Rapunzel right?" She asked and the blonde absently nodded. "I think we take Chemistry together. Come on we can walk out together."

It was 4:40. She really had to leave now. She knew Hiccup probably left an hour ago but a small part of her still did not lose hope. Anna was still walking next to her down the hall. Their footsteps echoed as their feet slapped against the concrete floor. The dim hallways were lonely save for the janitor in mopping away in front of a classroom door. Rapunzel quickened her pace and she was glad the red head beside her didn't question it.

_He's going to be there right? _The blonde started to panic. She'd been looking forward to getting to know him more ever since that night at the clinic. Was it his peculiar personality that piques her interest? Or maybe he was just the first guy who didn't actually try to hit on her. She thought she was lost and forgot which locker was Hiccup's until she saw the familiar ripped poster barely hanging on a wall. Her phone read 15 minutes till 5. He'll still be there. He will be there. The two girls turned round the hallway.

He wasn't.

* * *

The cat lay snuggled up to Hiccup's chest as he sat on the office floor of the animal clinic, working on an essay. He would occasionally stroke the cat's thin sleek fur to which it would purr in satisfaction. His notes lay scattered about him, papers stacked on top of notebooks and incomprehensible words and numbers scribbled across sticky notes. Words would be muttered under his breath as Hiccup jotted down sentences he barely understood and names which meant little to him. There was a light drizzle outside and Hiccup wanted nothing more than to just lie down and sleep through the depressing weather. Schoolwork is tiresome and he was unsure whether or not he'll survive senior year.

Toothless purred once more and jumped off of the boy's lap, stretching his body as he went. Hiccup checked his phone. It was already 5:30. Sighing, he gathered up his notes and stuffed them all in his beaten backpack. His legs were cramping and it pained him to get up.

He left his spot and headed for the door of the vet's office. Toothless followed suit.

"Oh no buddy, you're staying here." Hiccup said when he noticed the cat by his side. He picked him up and placed him back in the office. But when he closed the door Toothless started meowing out loud as if indignant on being left behind. He tried to ignored it but the cat must have sensed it since it started scratching at the door. Cursing, Hiccup went back and grudgingly opened the door. Toothless sashayed out, and if animals could smirk this one was definitely grinning up at him.

He scooped the cat up and it nudged his chin as if thanking him. "Yeah, you owe me."

Dr. Crood, the vet, was busy feeding a Labrador . It had a deep gash on its leg when its owner admitted it two days ago. With Hiccup's assistance, the dog was already halfway through recovery.

"Hey doc I'm taking Toothless home with me. Is that ok?" Hiccup asked, hugging the cat close to him.

The vet glanced up at him and smiled. "Of course. Though I'm not so sure about your father."

Hiccup laughed nervously at the comment. His dad wasn't really fond of animals. He always thought they just got in the way and they pee on everything. When Hiccup was 10 he'd ask for a puppy but Stoick would always reason about what it would do to his allergies which were probably fake.

"Oh yeah it's all under control—yea it's all good see you tomorrow doc!" He hurriedly said then bolted out the door, leaving the vet shaking his head at the closed door.

It had stopped raining but faint traces of the smell of rain wafted over him. _Petrichor._ The word flashed in his mind. Dew drops lingered on the tips of leaves, dangerously close to falling onto the damp earth. Thin feathery wisps of gray replaced the nimbus clouds. It was almost time before the sun set. The sky was in that point of uncertain transition from light to dark, when daytime still wanted to cling on to the sky, when the sun starts its descent and leaves a trace of pale tangerine streaked with tendrils of gold. Hiccup pushed his bike into the sidewalk and pedaled down the street, Toothless safely tucked in his semi open bag. The air was unusually warm and he felt suffocated by it. So he pedaled faster. Shops and salons passed by him in a blur. He headed west of town, the sky receding in front of him. It was as if he was chasing the daylight.

Several minutes later the wheels of his bicycle slowed to a stop near a rocky cliff. Hiccup jumped off the bike and walked near the cliff. He set down his backpack so that Toothless can get out. The sky grew darker, hues of purple and red blotting traces of clouds. He took several steps closer to the edge, peering down at the sea, its waves crashing down on the rocks. He looked up and closed his eyes, basking at the dim glow of the sunset.

"Don't fall." A voice called out to him, making Hiccup jump and turn around hastily.

Rapunzel stood there in jeans and a tank top, a sheen of sweat on her forehead and bare arms. Her hair was now free of its ponytail and lay tangled in the wind creating shadows on her face. He stood there dumbfounded before mentally slapping himself.

"Are you stalking me?" He asked sarcastically, playing a surprised face.

The blonde rolled his eyes at him and smiled. An awkward lull hung between them until the forgotten Toothless meowed at Rapunzel, catching her attention. She squeaked in delight and bent down to greet the cat. It jumped into her arms and she clutched at it as if it were a baby. With the cat still in her arms, she walked towards Hiccup.

"So." She ventured, looking at the setting sun. "This is where you go all the time to be alone?" The sky was a dark violet now. It stretched towards east where it met the blanket of night awaiting to swallow the earth. When he looked up he saw a single star just right above them. They say you can wish on the first star you see in the sky and that wish would come true.

The wind grew colder around them. "To think mostly." His words came out in foggy breaths.

"About what?"

_You, mostly._ His mind screamed. But his lips whispered. "Everything."

Several minutes passed again and more stars glittered above them. They smelled of the sunset and sea salt. The sound of waves embraced them and he wished it would just drown everything else. He wished it would rise and crash on them, suspending them in an infinity of dusks spent on cliff edges. Hiccup looked at her and saw that the sun never really left. She glowed in twilight like a firefly. Her cheeks were flushed in the cold and her blonde hair enveloped her like a lantern would cover the light inside.

"I'm sorry for not showing up earlier." Rapunzel said, a look of guilt passing on her face.

Hiccup shrugged it off and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. It's just that I had this cheerleading tryout and kind of lost track of time." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Toothless purred in her arms and licked her cheek as if to say that everything was forgiven. The blonde giggled and moved her face away from the cat, laughing. He smiled as well and they found themselves in each other's gaze. It was getting dark to see anything clearly but he saw a small blush creep up in her cheeks. Then a faint buzzing made them both jump and he looked away first. Rapunzel handed Toothless back to Hiccup, reached into her pocket and fished out a phone.

Her face fell for a split second. "Oh, it's uhm- it's my mother." She slide her finger across the screen to read the message. She bit her lip and looked up at Hiccup, the faint glow of the phone on her face made everything else seem darker. "I should go."

Disappointment and a hint of regret washed over him.

"Call me, okay?" She was already running towards her car. Hiccup turned around and tried to stop her.

"Wait" He jogged towards her. "I don't have your number."

Rapunzel glanced back, car door open, and a smile playing on her lips. And that was that.

* * *

_Serein. The light rain that falls from a clear sky at sunset or in the early hours of evening. _

The town lights flickered and wavered in the early evening. Hiccup enjoyed this; riding past town with the night sky on his back. A light shower poured on the streets; tiny drops of water spotting his clothes. When he finally pulled up into the driveway, the moon had started to rise over Berk. Though it gave little light because of the clouds blocking it in the sky. A light shining through one of the windows told him that his dad was already home. Hiccup jogged up the front porch steps, carefully hiding Toothless in his stuffed backpack.

Stoick was in his small quiet office, with only his paper work, the constant ticking of the clock and the light tapping of the rain on the roof as his companions. His face was worn and tired, lines stretching across his forehead, wrinkles forming when he narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the text on paper through worn-out glasses. He glanced at the clock beside him. His son was 30 minutes later than usual.

Then as if accidentally conjuring up Hiccup himself, Stoick heard the door close and shoes squeaking on the floor in the living room.

"Hiccup?" He called out and immediately the squeaking of worn sneakers seized. "Is that you, son?"

A shuffling of feet was heard from outside. "Yeah dad, it's me." His son replied.

Stoick began tidying up the papers littered all over his table and rubbed at his strained eyes. He pushed himself off his chair and crossed the room, the floorboards creaking beneath his feet. He opened the door, revealing a slightly drenched boy. He had mud splatters all over his shoes and the ends of his pants. This wasn't unusual. His son had once come home all covered in mud and leaves. He wouldn't say where he had gone. All these years of dinners at the table, silently watching football games and expecting him to come home from school late after dark going Thor knows where, Stoick though he'd known the boy well. Ye looking at him now, almost a man grown, he wasn't so sure that this was his son.

He sighed. "So, how was school?"

"It was…uneventful." Hiccup shrugged his shoulders. "Snotlout said he tipped most of the cows the other night. I wonder how much more till he does community service."

Stoick shook his head and gave a low chuckling sound. "Ah well that's the ol' Snotlout we know."

They stood there, shifting in uncomfortable silence. Suddenly a muffled sound came from Hiccup's bag. His son's eyes widened at it. Stoick eyed his son warily. "What was that?"

"It's uh-" He nervously gripped the straps of his bag. "It's my phone. I should probably head on up."

Stoick nodded, shrugging it off. "There's some leftovers in the microwave if you're hungry." He said then retreated back into his office, the large wooden doors closing loudly behind him. The floor creaked with each heavy step as he made his way towards the window, staring off into the night.

It was then cue for Hiccup to dash up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. Once his bedroom door was closed and safely locked, he gave out a long sigh of relief. He walked to his bed and laid down his bag, unzipping it. Thankfully Toothless was still alive, jumping out of the bag and stretching his small body.

"You seriously owe me big time." He told the cat. Hiccup then proceeded to change into drier clothes.

Once he stepped out of the bathroom, the collar of his shirt dampened by water, Hiccup collapsed down on his bed. His open bag lay next to him. The worn-looking sweatshirt peeked through the zipper. He reached for the shirt and held it in front of him. His hands ran through the soft cloth, lingering in the unfamiliar scent. Then as he held it up, it unfolded and a something flew out and landed on his chest. He sat up and grabbed at the small folded paper.

* * *

**A.N. **

really short chapter. sorry

ok yeah this was supposed to be 4k words long but i decided to cut it and separate it into two chapters bc the second part just didnt quite fit with this chappy so :)))))


	4. Chapter 4

yay an update

after this im going to write chapter 7 of atwp. i might update in like a week (lol no promises im so busy)

GUYS DID ANY OF YOU REALIZE THAT HICCUP AND PUNZIE WOULD LOOK LIKE FRIGGIN TWINS (or siblings) WITH THE SHORT BROWN HAIR AND GREEN EYES

OH MY GOSH

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Hiccup's heart (what the heckie hahahahhahahahahhaa** **gods)**_

* * *

Rapunzel sat by the window clutching her phone, occasionally glancing at the blank screen. Maybe it was too silly of her to slip the paper in the sweatshirt. Maybe he wouldn't even find it at all. Maybe it was just going to sit there on the floor covered by several other things, forgotten. The rain poured harder now, falling down like small bullets striking the streets. The inside of her window had begun to fog up and Rapunzel slid her fingers across the glass, creating shapes and patterns and watched them slowly fade away.

She never really liked the rain. The feeling of being drenched in coldness sent her shivers. Cold was an alien feeling she did not like to entertain. Water poured down hard and made loud noises on the roof. _Tap. Tap. Tap._ It surrounded her and drowned out the muffled sounds of the passing cars and the crickets and frogs dancing around puddles.

Sighing, Rapunzel rose and headed towards her closet. She fished out an oversized knitted sweater. Her mother had it made for her, one of the many pieces of clothing she had hand made for her. The fabric was rough to the touch, but cozy in the cold weather nevertheless. She was halfway through the torso when her phone rang, causing her to jump around cursing, her arm snaking into the wrong hole.

Rapunzel danced around and when the sweater finally came down nice and loose on her tiny body, she ran over to her bed where her phone was ringing. An unknown number was shown on the screen. _Hiccup. _Rapunzel's fingers fumbled with the hem of her sweater, contemplating on whether to answer it or not.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

But the voice that replied was not who she was expecting. "Hey is this Rapunzel?" Anna's voice rang through, with muffled noises in the background. Rapunzel was glad the girl couldn't see the disappointed look in her face.

"Yeah…Anna right?"

Shuffling was heard in the other line. "Yeah I got your number from Ariel if you don't mind. " She didn't. But the other girl left her no time to respond before she spoke again. "Anyways I just wanted to say that you were really good during tryouts today."

Rapunzel smiled slightly at the compliment. Maybe all those years of ballet lessons paid off after all.

"So uhm" Anna continued. "I think-I mean we all think you'd pass, you know. And because you're kind of like one of us now you should totally sit with us tomorrow."

"Wow. Uh, thanks I guess?" Her tiny voice was filled with hesitation. She imagined sitting with the cheerleaders and the football players every day. She imagined dressing like them and talking like them and eventually be idolized like them. Rapunzel shuddered-from the cold or not. Her eyes trailed towards the window. It was still pouring outside and it was already too dark to even make out silhouettes of the trees that shook in the wind.

Stifled laughing broke her reverie. She could barely hear Anna above the noise. Maybe she was at some party.

"Rapunzel?" Anna's voice came through. "You the-..We- see yo… orrow" The music was turned way up and Rapunzel gave up trying to discern what Anna had just said. She hung up and threw herself down onto the bed. The mattress was soft beneath her touch.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _Drops of water pattered down in a melancholic rhythm. Her eyes had just started to close, ready to embrace sleep when her phone buzzed again next to her. Half asleep, Rapunzel reached for it and answered, thinking it was still Anna.

"Mhmm?" She answered sleepily.

The caller stumbled over her words before saying a coherent sentence. "Hey, uhm Rapunzel?" The blonde sat up when her brain registered the voice. Apparently she moved way too fast because her head started to spin. _Hiccup._ _He found the note._ She rested her dizzy head on her hands. Her face flushed pink and she struggled to find words.

"Hey!" Rapunzel replied way too eagerly. She winced at herself. "Hiccup?"

"Yeah, uhm I got your note."

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _The beating of the rain on the roof matched her racing pulse. "I figured." She bit at the ends of her sleeves. She was growing redder with every second that passed despite the cold. Was it too childish of her to give him that note? She bit her lip and dropped back down on her bed. The ceiling seemed to crawl farther and farther away from her and she felt light-headed.

* * *

Hiccup paced the space in his room, his feet pressing against the cold floor. Toothless lay on his bed, lazily following him with emerald eyes. But he soon lost interest in Hiccup and focused on tangling himself in the sheets. Hiccup awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair and glanced at his reflection on the window. "I tried calling you several times but the number was busy."

"Oh" She sighed into the phone and it made him want to kick down doors and scream into the stormy night. "This girl in cheer tryouts called me."

His heart sank just a little bit. _Right so she's going to be a cheerleader now._ It's not that he had anything against them. "Right. Tryouts. So you think you'll pass?"

"I have a pretty good chance."

"So I guess that means you're going to be like them now huh?" He sat down next to Toothless and ran his hands through his soft fur. The cat purred quietly and moved to rest half its body on Hiccup's leg.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Even through the sound of rain he could tell Rapunzel sounded hurt and defensive. He slapped his hand to is forehead so hard it made the sleeping cat jump up and peered at him angrily.

Hiccup mentally kicked himself several times before finally calming down. He cursed under his breath. "Rapunzel, I'm really sorry. That was a stupid thing to say."

"It's okay." She said in a small voice. "I'm sure you didn't mean it."

But still he felt guilty for his remark. Toothless crawled back into his lap but this time he sat in front of him, curious. Hiccup reached out and scratched the spot behind his left ear which made him purr in satisfaction. When he moved to adjust his legs Toothless' claws remained sunken deep into his leg and he cried out as the scratch mark reddened.

"Hiccup?" Rapunzel called out, sounding distressed. "Are you okay? What happened?"

His phone lay on his bed and he fumbled for it, pressing down his pillow onto his leg. "Yeah? Yeah Im okay it's just that Toothless- he uh. It's just a scratch." _So much for an impression_.

"Toothless? Like the cat?" Hearing his name, the cat perked up and meowed at the phone. Rapunzel laughed which made him crack a smile. "Hey buddy." The cat meowed again and moved towards Hiccup's scratched leg and licked it with its rough tongue as if to say sorry. He smiled at the gesture.

"Is he okay now?" He stared at the peeling paint on his bedroom ceiling. He had taped and pinned countless blueprints of fictitious weapons and machinery, all conjured up in the busy spaces of his imagination. There were even a bunch of drawings of mythical creatures, a product of a strange fascination in fantasy worlds. The oldest drawings were from when he was 10 or 11 years old. The edges of the papers were torn and yellowed. The newest was taped directly above his head. It was a rough sketch of a black cat curled up, staring at him with large eyes.

Toothless nudged the phone and seemed to pull up the corners of his mouth to smile. If it were possible for a cat to do so, that is. "Yeah he's recovered real fast and hey, he can walk just fine now." As if to prove it right, the cat stretched itself and walked around on the crumpled sheets.

It stopped raining by then, the endless drops slowing fading into light showers, gently tapping on the streets. But the moon was still hidden behind clusters of dark clouds shifting in the silent night. Hiccup heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. His father must be heading to bed now. He suddenly was picturing Stoick, all stubbled chin and all, with dark bags circling his eyes, deepening his face and making him look 20 years older.

"..visit sometime?" Rapunzel's voice echoed in his head and Hiccup realized she was talking.

"Sorry, what?"

He could imagine her rolling his eyes at him as she laughed. Her laugh vibrated through the phone and it prickled his ears, "I said, would it be fine if I visit him sometime? You know when you're at the clinic"

"Great! That'd be uhm- that'd be awesome. You know, if uh if you have like, time after school." The thought of Rapunzel visiting them at the vet made him smile. He could tell she has a way with animals. A small part of him hoped that maybe she'd even volunteer to work there. Hiccup mentally kicked himself again for thinking that.

He glanced at the clock sitting on his bedside table. It was 8:35. "Oh shoot" Rapunzel said. "uh my mom's checking on me now and I should be doing my homework. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure."

The sound of shuffling papers and a thud of a book falling to the floor was heard. "Ok then" _Click._ She forgot to say goodbye. Hiccup fell onto the sheets with a sigh, the phone resting on his chest. Toothless was sound asleep next to him, curling up his small body and drowned among the sheets. Everything suddenly felt still. It was like the world stopped moving for several moments, for him to catch up. The cricket sounds faded into the night, leaving everything desolate and lonely. He must have felt really exhausted because before he knew it his eyelids drooped and he fell into a melancholic sleep.

* * *

_She forgot to say goodbye_. Rapunzel wanted to bang her head against the wall….repeatedly. Her mother went upstairs to check on her. She found the blonde sitting cross-legged on her bed. Textbooks were arranged around her, notes littered everywhere.

"Yes mother?"

The dark haired woman smiled at her and shook her head. "Nothing dear. I thought you were talking to someone."

"Oh it was probably just me talking to myself again." Rapunzel smiled nervously and kept on scribbling random notes on her paper. She never pulled off the nonchalant vibe but hopefully it fooled her mother.

"Well then. It's a school night, so don't stay up." With that her mother silently closed the door behind her and retreated to her own room. Rapunzel sighed and laid back on her bed.

She was mentally and physically exhausted. Her arms ached and her thoughts reeled relentlessly in her head. They already settled in their new house for almost a month but to Rapunzel, she needed a year to get used to everything. _But you won't have a year to get settled in_. She thought to herself.

Unopened boxes were still piled in the corner of her room. She felt like it was too soon to open and rummage through it. For now she drank in the emptiness of her new room; staring at the bare cream-colored walls and the mismatched carpet. Rapunzel pushed the books and papers off the bed, unflinching as they fell onto the floor with soft thuds. Her hands grasped at the crisp sheets and pulled them over her head. Burying herself amongst the cold covers, she put off the lamp that rested on her bedside table.

Slowly, sleep began to take over but somehow her hands still found their way to her phone. Her cold fingers tapping on the lighted screen. When the dreams started to conjure in her mind, one word lingered between consciousness and incoherent thoughts;

_Goodnight._

* * *

wow ok well that was kind of short

i just wanted to update again before i continue atwp so


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. hallo im back with short update**

* * *

He was afraid that they wouldn't have any class in common. That was until 2nd period.

The students were seated at least a good two feet away from each other with their blank canvases placed neatly on their easels. Each student had a box of assorted brushes, a paint set and a case full of pencils of different sizes, markers, pens and erasers. Hiccup sat comfortably on his stool, carefully rolling his weathered sweater up to his elbows for convenience. Today the art teacher just decided to let them start the semester with the students finding their own pace, and slowly easing into their own art styles. Then after a few weeks they would tackle the lesson proper so that each student would be able to compare his masterpiece at the end of the year with full mastery of techniques to the one he painted at the start of the year.

Hiccup only ever found true solace within the walls of art class; partly because there weren't many kids who took it, and also because he can use up the time to redirect all of his emotions- frustrations towards school, loneliness at home and the being out of place among his group of friends- onto the blank canvas. He always took the seat closes to the window because he liked to look out the window and stare at the sky. He'd take note of its colors every day. Most days it looked like the sunlight was barely wedging itself in between small gaps of clouds. But on special days he'd notice that it was clearer than usual. Only a few patches of grey were blotted onto the contrasting blue hue. Faint sunlight crept onto the school grounds, seeping into trees and being reflected off from passing cars. Hiccup liked to look at how the light illuminated each surface, each crevice, and each body. He took note of its fragility and tried to capture it into his art. But it only happened on special days.

But little did he know that today was a special day too.

* * *

Her arm went through the wrong hole. Again. The red head groaned as she pushed her jersey shirt down and hastily pulled her outrageously tangled mess of curls into a desperate ponytail. It was too loose on her body but she liked how it fits. This way, she can move more and kick more ass on the field. Rummaging through her gym bag, the red head pulled out a pair of socks. After hurrying through the 5-minute change, she hurried down the halls, bumping into a few students without even giving them so much as a glance. She was already late-not like she cared, but coach can be such a pain to latecomers. One time she had to run 20 laps around the football field and it had to be a sunny day. Hurried footsteps echoed throughout the quieting hallway as students cleared out for the next period.

She cursed Pre-calc for this. If only that blasted teacher hadn't given that bloody test on equations. Her mind was spinning in never ending circles and she ended up beating herself to death trying to solve the questions. _It was the first week of school for goodness sake! And he had to give a bloody test. _

Her fiery hair bounced up and down as she sped through in her cleated shoes. As she turned round a corner she bumped-no, hit- a girl who was so tiny she would have not noticed her in the first place. The blonde staggered back from the impact and appeared to be dazed. Guess she wasn't the only one so focused on getting to class. Ignoring the books on the floor, the athlete muttered a quick 'sorry' and ran past the still confused blonde.

_Shit I'm late, _was her only thought when she saw the other girls lined up doing their warm ups. Coach Aster stood in front of them, his hand never leaving his beloved whistle. He strutted – yes, _strutted_ as he scrutinized the exercises. The coach was wearing a white shirt with the school crest printed on it and red jersey shorts. _Talk about school spirit._ He had a towel resting around his shoulders and a cap to shield himself from the burning heat. Once she put her bag down on one of the benches, many heads turned toward her, including Aster. _I'm dead meat. _And did she mention that Aster used to be in the military? Yeah.

"DunBroch" His voice rang out and she jumped slightly at the tone. "15 squatras now."

The red head groaned audibly and positioned herself beside the group. She swore she saw Hofferson and Thorston snickering from the corner of her eye.

* * *

Miss (and it was stressed out at the first day that it was _Miss _not _Ms_) Ellie cleared her throat as the students settled down at their respective seats. The elderly woman, although very close to retirement, still enjoyed teaching arts and humanities and had a pleasant air to her. She always wore bright colours which contrasted against the otherwise very drab school walls. Her hair was always tied into a neat bun, a few silver hairs sticking out. Miss Ellie smoothened out the wrinkles on her light canary yellow skirt. \

"Alright children," Miss spoke in a soft but clear voice. "Time to take out your pencils and brushes and start working on the art piece that will be the foundation of your learning here for the next 10 months."

She strolled about while she spoke and tapped a few students on the shoulder with a kind smile. "Just remember to not be too controlling of yourself. Let loose. This is art class for goodness sake. Just paint whatever you want to paint. Don't limit yourself to what you want others to see. Paint what you feel. Paint what you want to say but couldn't. Paint with your heart and hands. Paint with your whole being."

Miss Ellie ended her overwhelmingly inspiring speech with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes. The whole class exchanged shy grins and started picking up their brushes, earning an approving look from Miss.

Hiccup tightly gripped the pencil in his hand and let it absorb the warmth of his palm. He stared at the blank canvas. He still didn't know what to draw because his mind was a chaos of a whole lot of irrelevant things that he couldn't quite grasp let alone capture into an artwork.

The door opened and he couldn't believe what he saw. In gasps she stood there hugging her books close to her chest. Her hair was on the verge of escaping the ponytail. Rapunzel wiped her forehead of sweat and quickly looked down when she realized almost everyone in the class was looking at her. The teacher excused her tardiness and motioned for het to find a seat. Hiccup suddenly felt conscious of everything.

Rapunzel craned her neck to look for an empty seat and found that the only one available was the one near the window. The very empty seat almost next to him. They met eyes for a few moments and he tried to read the expression written across her face when she saw him. Hiccup immediately looked down tried to busy himself with his work, picking up charcoal pencils and randomly pressing them down onto the canvas. The dark lines were thick and irregular. They weren't constant lines, like everything around him. But it eased him to know that at least this inconstant thing he could control. But even they couldn't distract him enough from the girl next to him. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to look, he glanced over at the blonde.

"Hey." She said in a breathy voice.

"Hey." He answered back.

She started picking up small acrylic paint bottles of different shades and colors. He turned back towards his own easel.

"So we're basically free to paint anything we want?" He heard her ask another girl.

She stared at the canvas for a long time. Her face was scrunched up into a focused expression. Her eyebrows were a shade darker that her hair, he noticed, and they were furrowed slightly. The light played around the room and the lighting made everything lighter, it seemed to him. Or maybe it was just the blond girl who seemed to be glowing slightly in the light. It was only when she began picking up her brushes when Hiccup realized he'd been staring at her all this time. He could feel the warmth rise up to his cheeks.

Hiccup looked at his unappealing sketch. The lines were too thick. And the shapes they led up to didn't even make any sense. But try as he might, there wasn't one idea that seemed to pop up. He sighed, hunched over the canvas and tried to salvage what he could of the work.

* * *

After the bell rang, Hiccup caught up to Rapunzel while she was walking out the door. "Hey." He tapped her lightly on the shoulder and the blonde turned around with a soft expression on her face. She smiled up at him and they fell into step as they walked to their lockers. Other students were also just starting to go out of the rooms and crowded the hall.

"The art teacher seemed so…nice." She commented, wiping her face of yellow paint. She even had some streaks of it on the edges of her sweater sleeves. "Art class is definitely going to be my favorite class ever."

Hiccup smiled at this. "Yeah, everyone here loves Miss Ellie. Even the jocks have a soft spot for her, which is touching really." They reached their lockers which were surprisingly close to each other. Hiccup hastily stuffed his papers into the locker and grabbed his books for the next class. The _Once and Future King _was tucked safely between his other notes. Walking up to his companion who was still shuffling through her things, Hiccup noticed a pencil sticking out of her hair which was actually holding it up. He thought it was cute.

"You have Physics next?" He asked, noticing the large book Rapunzel was holding.

The blonde had a pained expression written all over her face. "Yeah." She shifted the heavy book and tucked it under her arm. "I'm the worst in math…or science for that matter." She chuckled and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Really?" Hiccup was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "If you need help, you know, I could-uhm I could tutor you sometime…I guess."

Rapunzel beamed up and it suddenly made him blush. He looked down and felt the blood rush to his head, making it spin chaotically. How could a simple smile affect him so much? Hiccup adjusted his glasses which were starting to slide down his nose. He was about to say something when Rapunzel's phone buzzed in her pocket. She jumped, and sheepishly fished it out, excusing herself.

"Ah it's Anna." She explained, tapping on the screen frantically. "I- uhh, have to go I guess. We have class together so…"

Hiccup watched her start to walk away, hesitated and turned around. "I'll hold you up to that promise okay?" She smiled one last smile and disappeared into the crowd.

When Fishlegs caught up to Hiccup after class, he couldn't quite understand the reason behind his best friend's smile.

* * *

**A.N.**

well yeah

anyways, what do you guys want to happen in the next few chapters bc im running out of ideas


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N. ~ **Happy new year! i cant believe some people are still reading my stories even after like less than a year. to everyone who still reads them and stuff, thank you very much and just know that i do read all of your reviews and i think they're what make me keep on writing these

so yeah on to the chapter

* * *

Merida sprang for the door when the bell rang after 3rd period. She was already headed for her locker before most of the students even got out into the hallway. She pushed past a group of freshmen and scowled as they blocked the way.

"D'ya have to travel in packs all the god damn time?" The freshmen turned to the fuming red head and let her through. They scurried away before Merida had the chance to lash out again. As she walked past, she heard a few snickers behind her. Turning, she saw the airhead Ruffnut Thorston and the goody-goody Astrid Hofferson grinning like a bunch of evil hyenas. She couldn't stand their condescending auras everytime they were around her. If there's one thing she can't stand (besides her mother) it's superior-acting pubescent teenagers. "Careful there DunBroch you might turn into a man-eating beast if you don't stop scaring underclassmen all the time." Ruffnut, the taller of the two blondes remarked.

Usually Merida just ignored their snide comments about her but today she felt extra annoyed at them – and people in general. "Oh why don't you just stuff your rotten socks in your mouth Thorston. Maybe it'd do you some good."

"Nice mouth you got there DunBroch. Watch it or it'll get the better of you someday." Astrid stepped in front of her friend and crossed her arms. Her face displayed full authority which repulsed Merida. The red head scoffed. "Acting high and mighty again Hofferson or are you just showing off the good guy card here?"

"I'm the one who's acting the mature on in this conversation." The blonde replied back, a hint of anger clouding her eyes. _Oh this is going to be good._ Merida mused to herself. Several people were watching from across the lockers, afraid to come between the two girls who were obviously on the verge of taking their heated conversation into a physical level.

"Why I'll show you maturity you little roach-infested piece-a-"

Before she could even step closer to the two blondes, the air was knocked from her lungs as she was suddenly swept off the ground by an unseen force and her world was thrown upside down. But the flash of silver hair was all she needed to see to know who her kidnapper was. Her irritation suddenly flared and she thrashed around, hitting the silver-haired boy's back.

"JACK PUT ME DOWN YOU BRAT" Merida screamed and people turned to watch them, some laughing and others shaking their heads at the scene.

The silver-haired did not release his hold on her. Her eyes met the moving ground, the tips of her unruly hair touching it. Finally after several more turns, she was put back down again, her feet slowly meeting the ground. Her vision blurred for a moment and the light made funny shapes in front of her. When her sight was back to normal, she found herself face to face with a grinning pale face. Silver hair covered most of his face and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen which were twinkling with mischief. The boy was just over a year older than her-a senior who spends more time in detention than in class. Sometimes it made her think that she's the older one in their unlikely friendship.

Merida ran up to him and hit him square in the stomach. The boy moaned out and clutched at his abdomen. "You little troll!" The read head fumed up at him. "What in heaven's name did you do that for?!"

But Jack only laughed at his friend. "Come on Mer, if I had let you land a single hit on that Hofferson girl you'd be called to the principal's office halfway through lunch."

Merida looked at him and sighed. He was right. If she had let herself get into a fight in the first week of school she'd be scrubbing floors or filing books for at least 2 weeks. And heaven knows what her mother would say when she finds out about that. There'd be hell to pay. But she couldn't help but feel irritated still. Beating up Thorston and Hofferson would wait for another day then.

The silver haired boy led her up the stairs of the student council building up to the terrace where they usually eat lunch. The sun was shining and she hoped it would be like this until the end of the week. _At least let the weather be cheery even when I can't_. They sat on boxes and opened their brown paper bags.

"You could've just let me do it though." Merida said as she unwrapped her sandwich. "At least we'd most likely be in detention together."

Jack grinned. "I know. But detention is my place. I can't let you take my kingdom away from me."

* * *

"You seem happy today." Anna bumped Rapunzel's shoulder as they were headed to the cafeteria for lunch. They were seated at a round table in lunch hall surrounded by their peers- mostly cheerleaders and popular people. Physics drained her every ounce of energy that she thought she wouldn't even be able to stand up when the bell rang for lunch. But looking at her friend, Anna was perplexed as to why the blond was smiling happily on her own.

Rapunzel turned to her friend with a sheepish expression and shook her head. "Is it a crime?"

"No it's just… you've been awfully cheery lately." Anna pushed at a meagre serving of salad and pierced her fork through a baby tomato. Red juices oozed out of the shiny surface. "Anything special going on?"

Her friend replied with a 'mhmm' and she figured it was a matter to be discussed for another day. But she still couldn't help but notice how Rapunzel seemed to be glancing once in a while at random tables, as if looking for someone. Her already pink cheeks blushed when Anna caught her staring at a particular brunette across the hall. Rapunzel immediately broke eye contact and busied herself with her lunch.

"Anyways," Anna sighed. "We have cheer practice later at 3 just after school. I think Arista's going to start training us for our cheers. Even though football season is like months away..."

"I think it's for the best." Violet, a freshman with a pale face that constantly hid behind her contrasting dark hair, chimed in. "There are a lot of newcomers in the team."

The conversation took its course, and everyone else joined in. Soon it evolved into talk of clothes and if print on print was still the trend to follow that fall. Rapunzel nodded along, pretending to be listening when in fact her mind wandered around the room – hovering over a certain table 10 meters from her to be exact. She glanced back and forth, careful not to be caught by her friends. Her eyes trailed to where he was-his back facing her. Hiccup was sitting with his group of friends, a bunch of people Rapunzel would not want to mess with. Their reputation as trouble makers was enough to send her flying to the opposite direction when they walk in the hall. But seeing Hiccup with them, so out of place like an innocent seal in polar bear-infested waters, was confusing. Rapunzel shrugged it off. _Maybe they were just childhood friends who still stuck together even if everyone else was changing personalities. _

It was a peculiar and sad sight to watch. She never had friends like those- friends who've known you since grade school who still hang out at Ben and Jerry's every weekend with you. People whom you grew up together with. Rapunzel always moved around, constantly switching schools and never keeping the same friends. Her mother was a businesswoman who had to transact with various people all over the country. Even though she never really understood how her mother's job really worked, she just knew that everytime there was a letter with a red stamp by the parlor table it'd mean that she'd start packing up again.

So looking at all these people around her, Rapunzel thought how much time she has left before another stamped letter comes by and whisks her away to another town.

"…. Yeah- and… Hey, uhm Punz?" She was suddenly snapped from her trance by Ariel's voice. She caught herself staring at Hiccup the entire time. Quickly looking down and back at her friends, she wished they didn't see what she has just been doing. "Everything okay there?" The red head tapped her head with a playful smile on her face.

Rapunzel blushed slightly. "Yeah sorry I was just- uh thinking about the test in History later. I-I didn't really study well last night" What a pretty bad liar she made.

"Ugh don't remind me. I don't have any notes on the world wars at all." Remarked Nod, a football player whom she took the class with.

Anna laughed at the boy. "Please you don't have any notes for every class you take. I doubt you'll graduate without repeating a year _Nathaniel_"

The jock threw an empty milk carton at the cheerleader wherein the latter yelped out in annoyance. "It's not like it's my fault. I just can't concentrate properly in class. It's a disease or something."

"Yeah it's called _Stupidicus Syndrome _and thankfully it's not contagious." Anna pokes a tomato and tosses it at Nod who expertly dodges it. "Also maybe the reason why you can't concentrate is because you're always thinking of footballs hitting you in the face."

Their teasing went on, with everyone laughing and poking each other and with Nod grabbing Anna and locking her in a friendly grasp with a tiny bit of non-friendly strangulation. Rapunzel laughed along, feeling extremely happy that she had met these people. It was going to be a year full of memories, sad and happy. And she wished it wouldn't end so suddenly. Glancing back at the retreating group behind her she swore she met eyes with a pair of green eyes for a moment.

_It was going to be an interesting year indeed._


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N. Is anyone still reading this omg hi**

* * *

He remembered the first time he met the others.

The memory was full of sunny days, handshakes and adults murmuring in a room while the kids where left to play outside. Fishlegs's father was a young military officer who served in the east. In truth all of their parents were in the military in one way or another. But one day Hiccup's best friend received a yellow envelope from a man wearing a uniform. His medals were neatly pinned on his chest. But it wasn't Fishleg's father.

That yellow envelope was the worst thing that Fishlegs's family had ever read and back then, Hiccup didn't really understand what exactly happened except that his father just told him to take out his best suit. And Stoick held his hand all the way to the place with the scary stones and the crying angels. The sun was shining that day and Hiccup hated it. He hated it because it was never sunny in Berk and it meant something was wrong. He hated it because Fishlegs hated them. He hated it because they had to stand for a long time amongst wilting flowers. He hated it because he could clearly see the tears in his best friend's eyes.

But he also loved sunny days because it was when they first met. They were in Fishlegs's house with the adults in their black suits talking in the living room and the kids sitting on the dry grass outside. It was when they all sat together in a circle, not talking in fear that they would say the wrong things at the wrong time. They were all there, Hiccup next to Fishlegs, his cousin Snotlout beside him, and the twins slouching against a tree. The last to arrive was Astrid Hofferson. Back then he could remember how tiny she was with her two pigtails neatly braided and slung over her shoulders.

Nobody talked about the ceremony. No one mentioned the yellow envelope or the wilting flowers or the black suits. They just sat there on the lawn in their own tiny suits and dresses. It wasn't until Tuffnut grew bored and stuffed a poor grasshopper down his twin's back. Ruffnut chased him across the lawn eventually bumping into Snotlout who wrestled them on the ground. The teasing and bumping turned into a game of tag, with Snotlout hitting Astrid on the shoulder screaming "YOU'RE IT" At first she didn't move. Then she turned to Hiccup with her large eyes that were the bluest they ever were in the sunlight. It was light the bluest ocean he'd ever seen and he was drowning in it. Raising her arm she touched her finger against Hiccup's forehead. "You're it." And she ran off with the others.

And that was the time he fell in love with the girl with the pigtails.

"That DunBroch girl is surely going to get it." Ruffnut grumpily said over their table at lunch. The group sat near the end of the hall as far away from the annoying people as possible. The pale blonde girl was muttering about getting even with DunBroch for the last 5 minutes. Hiccup wracked his brain for a face. He wasn't very good at recalling every single person that went to _. Is she the one with the thick glasses? No that's not her. Maybe she's the one with the terrible acne?

Lunch was a disappointment. It was a heap on unidentified slop of ground meat and some sauce that made him want to puke his guts out. They rarely served any decent food at school and the last time they served pizza was two years ago. And only because some big wig's spoiled brat complained about the bland and tasteless prison food they force upon the students. But even demands and parent teacher conferences couldn't stop the grumpy lunch lady from serving the kids the usual stuff. Hiccup stared at the mush on his place and pushed it with his plastic spoon.

"You've been saying that for like a week now. I mean you literally just locked eyes for a few seconds in the hallway this morning and now you look like you're about to hack a whole cow with your spoon." Snotlout complained.

"Let it go fish brain. You probably wouldn't even land a punch before she'd send you to the nurse's office" Tuffnut said while landing a sounding smack on his twin's head. It resulted into a fuming Ruffnut who proceeded to grab his brother's dreadlocks and started wrestling him over their trays of food. The rest of the group ignored the brawl, obviously being used to the twins' anger management issues.

Hiccup adjusted his glasses and stuffed in whatever he could of his food without gagging. He looked at his friends who were immersed in talk of sports and stuff that he (and Fishlegs) was totally clueless about. Lunch hall was packed with students all divided into little factions dictated by status quo. Hiccup hated it; being defined by what people see you as: nerds, jocks, overachievers, cool kids and outcasts. But this was high school and everyone had to suck it up and go with the flow eventually. He ignored his friends' chatters and glanced around the hall. Finally his eyes landed on a heap of tousled blonde hair. Wait, why was he looking at her again? And why couldn't he help but smile a little everytime he thinks about the freckles strewn across her cheeks? He looked down immediately before his friends would notice.

It was almost time for the next class. The group almost instinctively put away their trays and fixed their things for fourth period. Together they went out of lunch hall. They almost never had class with each other but today they were split into two; Snotlout, Astrid and Hiccup took Biology while the twins and Fishlegs were off to French.

Their sneakers squeaked in sync. "Hey I heard there's a party at that cheerleader chick's house Saturday night." Snotlout chimed in.

Hiccup wondered which cheerleader was throwing another party again. It was everyday they heard about some "totally awesome party" that happened the other night-and of course they weren't there to watch it unfold.

Astrid rolled her eyes and with a scoff she replied, "Cheerleaders throw parties almost every day. I don't get why it's such a big deal. It's just a bunch of rowdy social climbers drinking beer and listening to trash music."

"Woah easy there tiger." Hiccup's cousin threw his hands in the air as if in surrender. "I was just thinking you know, maybe we could check it out a bit. Grab a few drinks, laugh a little, score chicks, then we go."

"Ugh you guys go. I'm not one for stupid social gatherings like that." With that the blonde stomped off ahead of them.

When they got to class they found Astrid sitting up front and they knew she was mad because she wouldn't even answer the teacher's questions that day.

* * *

**PARTY. SATURDAY. 8PM. **

Rapunzel tucked away her phone after reading the very concise message then sighed. Anna was throwing another party. It was the third time that month. "Just because your sister's in college and your aunt lets you do whatever you want doesn't mean you can go get drunk every other night with a bunch of football players." She muttered to herself feeling concerned for her friend. All the more reason to go to the party to watch over Anna. She was just glad that her mother was off to one of her short business trips in another state and wouldn't be home till Sunday.

She wondered if Hiccup and his friends are going. But then again she'd never seen them socialize with other people before. Maybe they weren't really into crowds. Sighing once more, the blonde quickly changed into her shirt and running shorts then exited the shower room. Practice was short but it still left her in short-breath. _I have to work on endurance and stamina_. It was almost 4:30 and the school was basically deserted save for a few of her friends. Rapunzel went ahead of them, running down the school steps and into the cool twilight. The autumn wind greeted her and went past, biting at her exposed skin. She reminded herself to bring a jacket every day for the next few months.

Cars drove past strangers in the bustling streets as she broke into a light jog out of the school gates. It was the perfect atmosphere for a light jog. Her feet stomped past a few puddles, streaking her legs with splotches of mud and water. The narrow alleyways opened up to downtown where there were more people. The street lamps were beginning to flicker to life, emitting a faint yellow glow. From afar they almost looked like fireflies suspended in the air. With every minute that past the sky gradually became a darker shade than it was before. Hues of red streaked across it, almost as if the gods were ripping apart the sky itself. _As if the sky was screaming_.

Rapunzel ran faster, letting the chaos of downtown envelope her. The air thickened with the shouts of street vendors lined up the sides of buildings, drivers manically honking on their car horns and speakers blaring loud incoherent music a few streets from her. Though Berk truly was a tiny town north of nowhere, there were enough people in it to make it look like a pandemonium being pushed into a tiny box. Once the crowd began to thicken around her, she was forced to stop running.

"Jewelry for the lovely miss?" a middle aged man with a funny gap between his two front teeth held up strings of gold necklaces (probably fake) and pearls as Rapunzel passed by. She smiled politely and shook her head.

Bright lights illuminated several shops and she was enticed by one particular boutique that she had to stop in front of the glass display and peer at the shoes that were neatly arranged on velvet fabric. One even sparkled so much that Rapunzel thought it was rolled in tons of glitter.

"…Ge' out of 'ere b'fore I mash up ya face, Rider!" She heard angry shouting from the alleyway a building away to her left and was followed by what sounded like glass breaking.

Rapunzel quickly turned to find a young man saunter out of a small tipsy bar that looked quite out of place among the shops beside it. The young man stood tall with broad shoulders and had an expression on his face that could have intimidated anyone into breaking into a run. He walked up to his motorcycle parked in front of the bar and swung his leg over the seat. Grabbing his black helmet, the man adjusted the straps on it. Rapunzel didn't realize she was staring at him until he turned his head and looked right at her. The blonde jumped slightly and turned to run in the direction of the suburbs.

The man smirked ever so slightly that couldn't have noticed it even if you were standing right in front of him, put on his helmet and drove away into the busy streets.

* * *

aha

hahahhahah

hahhahashfhajhh bye


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